Asian Transactions on Science & Technology (ATST ISSN: 2221-4283) Volume 01 Issue 05

Barriers to the Effective Use of Technology in Education: Case Study of UAE

University
Hebatalla El Semary, Mass Communication Department, UAE University

Abstract: While the number of computers in the

classroom continues to increase and tremendous
support for technology integration exists in
academia, a major discrepancy exists between
the level of technology use expected of
educators and the actual use and integration of
technology in the classroom. This article
examines barriers that impede the effective use
of technology in education.
Index
terms:
Classroom
technology,
Professional development, Smart boards,
Technology Plan

1. Introduction
Whether technology should be used in
classrooms is no longer the issue in education.
Instead, the current emphasis is ensuring that
technology is used effectively to create new
opportunities for learning and to promote
student achievement. Educational technology is
not, and never will be, transformative on its
own, however. It requires the assistance of
educators who integrate technology into the
curriculum, align it with student learning goals,
and use it for engaged learning projects.
Dowling & Harland (2001) observed two math
classes using technology in the classroom and
noted that the students were motivated and, for
the most part, fully engaged. In Laura Dowlings
observations, it was noted that there needed to
be an additional adult in the room to assist the
students when difficult questions arose.
Direction sheets given by the instructor proved
also to be essential.(1)
"Teacher quality is the factor that matters most
for student learning," note Darling-Hammond
and Berry (1998).(2) Therefore, professional
development for faculty becomes the key issue

Nov 2011

in using technology to improve the quality of

learning in the classroom.
In this sense, Franklin & others (2009) studied a
mentoring relationship among elementary
teachers in a rural school district and graduate
students in instructional technology in the
College of Education at a university in the
Midwestern United States. Teachers identified
common barriers to technology use: vision,
access, time, assessment, and professional
development.
The mentoring relationship provided the
professional development support needed to
promote opportunities for modeling the
curriculum
integration
of
technology,
redesigning lessons around technology-rich
resources, and overcoming barriers to
technology use (3)
Many organizations are
instituting mentoring programs as a means of
enhancing recruitment into the field, upgrading
skills, increasing job satisfaction, and retaining
employees in a mobile job market (4).
Other factors affecting the implementation of
technology:
1. Resistance to change:
A. Cohen points out that schools and
the nature of teaching have remained
relatively unchanged for hundreds of
years.
B. Marcinkiewicz believes that people
avoid using computers because they fear a loss
of status and hard-earned skills and do not have
adequate knowledge.
C. Mandated change in education
typically results in superficial adoption rather
than incorporating the substance.
2. Teachers attitudes:
A. Using Rogers model, adopters of
technology fall into one of five general

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Asian Transactions on Science & Technology (ATST ISSN: 2221-4283) Volume 01 Issue 05

categories: innovators, early adopters, early

majority, late majority, and laggards.
B. Only 16% educators fall into the
innovator and early adopter categories.
3. Professional development: training , time,
and support .(4)
Lack of professional development for
technology use is one of the most serious
obstacles to fully integrating technology into the
curriculum
According to a recent survey by two largest
teachers' unions, most educators are enthusiastic
about the role technology can play in improving
learning, but many still feel unprepared to take
advantage of digital tools in the classroom(5).
What's stopping them? The persistent barriers
could include too few computers, a lack of
technical support, and inadequate professional
development.
Meanwhile, the Office of Technology
Assessment's 1995 report on teachers and
technology indicated that schools have made
significant progress in implementing technology
to help teachers use basic technology tools but
they still struggle with integrating technology
into the curriculum (6).
The National Center for Education Statistics
(2000) studied the integration of various
technologies in the teaching/learning process.
The Center reported the following examples of
how teachers had integrated technology: 44%
reported using technology for classroom
instruction, 42% reported using computer
applications, 12% reported using practice drills,
41% reported requiring research using the
Internet, 20% required students to use
technology to solve problems and analyze data,
27% had students conduct research using CDROMs, 27% assigned students to produce
multimedia reports/projects, 23% assigned
graphical presentations of materials, 21%
assigned demonstrations/simulations, and 7%
assigned students to correspond with others over
the Internet (7).
On the other hand, Redmann, Kotrlik & Douglas
addressed how technology was being integrated

Nov 2011

in the teaching/ learning process in secondary

marketing education programs for four distinct
and
independent
phases:
Exploration,
Experimentation, Adoption, and Advanced
Integration. The phases in which marketing
teachers were most active are exploration of the
potential of using technology in the
teaching/learning process,
and adopting
technology for regular use in instruction. They
are not very active in the experimentation phase,
but they are operating at a moderate level in the
advanced integration phase. Teachers perceive
that minor barriers exist that prevent them from
integrating technology into the teaching/learning
process among which is professional
development. But, in general, they perceive they
are good teachers (8).
Professional development for technology use
should be an integral part of the college
technology plan or an overall collegeimprovement plan, not just an add-on. Initial
inclusion in the technology plan ensures that
professional development is considered an
essential factor in using technology to improve
teaching and learning
The technology plan, with its important
professional development component, should be
written by a technology planning committee or
team. The group approach ensures that all
stakeholders support the integration of
technology into the curriculum as well as
sustained
professional
development
in
technology use for all teachers and
administrators. The technology planning team
ensures that the professional development
component of the technology plan is research
based and meets high standards for effective
staff development (9).
Sources of professional development standards
include the five tenets outlined in the Policy
Position paper, developed by the National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards, and the
Standards for Staff Development, developed by
the National Staff Development Council (10).
The technology planning team has important
things to think about when reviewing the
professional development section of a
technology plan, such as the following: How do

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Asian Transactions on Science & Technology (ATST ISSN: 2221-4283) Volume 01 Issue 05

instructional and technological goals affect

professional development? What is expected
from the staff as a result of their professional
development? Who will manage, design, and
deliver the professional development?
Above all, the technology planning team should
determine the school's current level of
technology use. Materials such as the Seven
Dimensions for Gauging Progress of
Technology in the Schools, developed by the
Milken Exchange on Educational Technology,
and the Learning with Technology Profile Tool,
developed by North Central Regional
Technology in Education Consortium, can be
used to assess the school or district's current
technology practice and provide a point of
comparison
Training is needed not only for faculty, but also
for students. More than 1,200 schools have
participated in GenYES(Youth & Educators
Succeeding) programs, which include training
for
students
and
on-site
professional
development for teachers. Sylvia Martinez,
president of Generation YES (Youth &
Educators Succeeding) believes that we can
teach students to help teachers use technology
more effectively in the classroom.We've got
twelve years of data that says we can(11).
GenYES encourages teachers to learn about
Professional development that's embedded in the
classroom has more staying power than one-shot
workshops. Martinez also advises sharing the
vision of twenty-first-century learning with
students.?'
"Access, Adequacy, and Equity in Education
Technology," published by the National
Education Association and the American
Federation of Teachers, provides several broad
recommendations for effecting change over the
long term. They include: Improve classroom
access to hardware, software, and the Internet,
bolster technical support, strengthen professional
development around the instructional uses of
technology, and enlist teachers unions to
advocate for tech funding and support (12). Yet
it fails to offer solutions for educators looking to
take immediate action.

Nov 2011

UAEU is steadily improving its world ranking.

Last year it placed 374th and rose two spots,
coming in at 372 this year in the QS World
University Rankings 2010. The organization
ranks top universities in the world. It is
considered the strongest university in the Arab
region. UAEU ranked 202 in the Life Sciences
and Medicine and 235 in the Arts and
Humanities . And recently( Fall 2010) it opened
the new campus which is equipped with the
latest technology, particularly in terms of
processing classes, providing them with the best
digital technologies and laboratories to upgrade
the University's teaching and linking education
with technology.
And in this sense, the CET(Center for
Educational Technology)at UAEU offers some
training courses/workshops to train Faculty to
use the latest teaching techniques and the latest
Software within classrooms, many of which are
one-shot workshops. In addition , A Complete
user manual for SMART's "Notebook "
Software was distributed among faculty who
attended the introductory workshop that was
held two days before the fall semester
commences and is also available at the UAEU
website.
The mission of CET is not only to show faculty
what buttons to push, but also to clearly detail
exactly when, where, how and why these tools
should be used to enhance faculty's teaching
practice and their students learning. This
fall,the CET continues its efforts to help UAEU
faculty innovate and invigorate their teaching
with the new Mobile Media Initiative. Using
inexpensive, highly portable and easy-to-operate
devices, any professor or student can now create
amazing digital multimedia materials that are
ready to use instantly.
The New campus Classroom technology in
UAEU:
Visionaire is the Dubai-based company that
designed, selected and installed the classroom
presentation and information technology devices
on the new campus.
Most classrooms feature Smart Boards with
integrated projectors. In larger classrooms, a

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Asian Transactions on Science & Technology (ATST ISSN: 2221-4283) Volume 01 Issue 05

different product called a Sympodium is used.

They look much like a large LCD monitor.
The so-called SMART boards can be used as a
projection surface for any image that can be
displayed on a computer screen. Smart board
surfaces are touch sensitive and can be used like
a giant trackpad to interact with and control the
connected computer.
On September 7th,2010, Visionaire invited staff
from the CET to see and interact with a fullyequipped
and
operational
new-campus
classroom for the first time.
Based upon information gleaned from Visionaire
on that day, the Center for Educational
Technology has assembled three basic methods
for teaching in classrooms on the new campus:
1. Method : Traditional
Nearly all classrooms are supposed to have at
least one dry-erase whiteboard surface. Faculty
can recognize these normal whiteboards by their
glossy look and smooth texture. Additionally,
many are bordered top and bottom with thin,
metal mounting strips. Faculty will need to bring
their own dry-erase markers.
Some larger classrooms do not appear to have
any dry-erase surfaces. In these rooms there is
an extra-wide projection screen bordered in a
thick black velvet frame. Of course, Faculty can
never use makers of any kind on the Electronic
Whiteboards
2. Method 2: Standard
Visionaire
has
equipped
new-campus
classrooms with what they call a Media
Processor Appliance or MPA. These devices
are essentially Intel-based computers running a
modified version of the Windows 7 operating
system.
Although they are computers, the majority of
classroom MPA devices are not equipped with
monitors, keyboards, CD/DVD Drives or mice.
Everything you do with an MPA must be done
using the Electronic Whiteboard, its LCD
projector, virtual keyboard software and touch
sensitive surface.
A three-port USB hub is mounted on the
underside of each teachers desk. The hub has no
external power connection, so you can only use
low-power USB devices like memory sticks.
Devices like USB Hard Disks will not function
unless they have an external power cable.

Nov 2011

Visionaire has sole administrative access to the

MPA systems and has configured them with a
customized user interface and a selection of
software applications they have selected. Faculty
can use the MPAs and the software they contain
to access files that have been saved on USB
memory sticks or that have been uploaded to
network-accessible storage devices, shared
drives, etc.
Faculty wishing to access Network Storage
devices should check with their departments IT
Coordinator(s) to learn if/how your network
resources have been set up on the new campus
and how to access the ones you need to use.
As mentioned, MPAs are not equipped with
CD/DVD drives. If you wish to play video
materials in class, they must be converted into
compatible formats and saved as files on a USB
or a network drive. At this point in time WMV
files appear to play reliably
Importantly, classroom sound systems are not
yet functional. As such, all audio output from
the MPAs is currently disabled. Faculty
requiring sound output is advised to bring their
own PCs and external speakers.
Visionaire has installed the following core
programs on the MPA systems: Microsoft Office
Viewer Applications, Internet Explorer,
Windows Media Player, a ZIP File Compression
Utility, a PDF Reader and Smart Technology's
Notebook program and hardware drivers.
The MS Office Viewer programs allow only the
opening and viewing of files. Creating, editing,
saving or printing of MS Office Documents is
not possible when working through the MPA
devices with the Viewer programs currently
installed. The MPAs appear to operate
inconsistently with the Smart Boards when
viewing MS Office documents or web pages
with Internet Explorer. In tests, the CET
technicians have been unable to make digital ink
annotations reliably on MS Office documents or
webpage screens. Annotating using the Word
Viewer is possible, but not, for example, when
using the PowerPoint Viewer.
Teachers wanting to do annotations are advised
to become familiar with the operation of Smarts
Ink Layer feature in order to avoid confusion.
Smarts special Notebook Software functions
as expected and should be used by all faculty

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Asian Transactions on Science & Technology (ATST ISSN: 2221-4283) Volume 01 Issue 05

members wishing write or draw on an electronic

whiteboard. All of Smarts electronic ink
capabilities and other features are available
using Notebook. Documents created using
Smarts Notebook software can also be edited
and/or saved when using the MPA. Faculty
should make sure they save any and all edited
Notebook documents to a personal USB
memory stick or network storage space. Files
mistakenly saved to an MPAs internal disk will
be automatically erased.
Internet Explorer can be used to access a variety
of websites. Certain browser plug ins or
extensions might not be available on the MPA. It
is advisable to check all website content in
advance to make certain it can be viewed
properly through the MPAs browser.
.
Method 3: Personalized
The classroom MPA devices also allow you to
plug in your own desktop or laptop computer
and display its screen through the Smart Boards
projector--just as you would expect a normal
LCD projector to function.
When an external computer is connected, faculty
can, of course, use whatever programs, data,
etc., are available on your computer. The MPA
system and its functionality are bypassed for that
connection. Cables for your computer's video,
audio and network ports are located beneath a
panel on the surface of the teacher's desk . In
rooms equipped with a single Smart Board, once
a laptop was connected, the display switched to
the laptop after about 20 seconds. The change is
automatic. Faculty do not need to press any
buttons on the Smart Board, but they may need
to toggle an external-display mode on your
laptop and/or adjust their screen resolution in
order to send a compatible video signal.
In rooms equipped with dual Smart Boards, once
a laptop is connected, one of the displays will be
switched to the laptop while the other will
continue to show output from the MPA. In tests,
it was not possible for the user to select which
board/projector displayed which content.

monitors with touch-sensitive screens called

Sympodiums or Smart Podiumsas they have
recently been rebranded. These devices are
manufactured by the same company that makes
Smart Boards, so their functionality is similar.

Sympodium-Equipped Rooms
In rooms too large for Smart Boards to be seen
clearly by the audience, Visionaire has installed
ceiling mounted LCD-projectors. These are
connected to a similar, but larger MPAs and to

This study aims to finally reach a strategy and

plan of action to ensure the best and effective
use of technology in Education .The strategy
should determine the role of each partner in the

Nov 2011

From interactions during the first week of

classes with representatives from Visionaire,
CET has collected some questions/observations
from faculty and CET staff along with
Visionaries
responses
regarding
their
equipment
and
installations.
These
questions/answers were posted on the UAEU
website. But are these efforts sufficient to
prepare faculty to use this new classroom
technology? And what are the barriers that
impede the effective use of this technology?
Research Questions: The study addresses a
number of questions as follows:
1. Is the type of faculty professional
development and training of technicians
offered by CET sufficient?
2. Do just faculty members need training
in the use of those techniques or that
students also need this training?
3. Is the problem in integrating technology
into the curriculum, align it with student
learning goals, and use it for engaged
learning projects?
4. How is technology being integrated in
the teaching/ learning process in terms
of
Exploration,
Experimentation,
Adoption, and Advanced Integration?
5. What are the needs of faculty to
integrate technology in their teaching
process development?
6. What are the barriers to effective use of
technology in education from the
viewpoint of faculty and student?
7. Do fewer technicians hinder effective
use of educational technology? Or is the
reason the insufficiency of equipments
and lack of maintenance?
8. Could Mentoring help in overcoming
barriers to technology use?

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Asian Transactions on Science & Technology (ATST ISSN: 2221-4283) Volume 01 Issue 05

implementation
process
without
adding
additional burdens to the University budget. .

2. Methodology

The study will be collecting data through:

1. Surveying a sample of 100 faculty

representing the different departments of
the College of Humanities and Social
Sciences, the biggest college in the
university in terms of faculty and number
of students.

% of faculty
Geography
10%

Arabic
Language
11%

0%

Mass
Communication
12%

History
11%

Political science
5%
Sociology
6%

Psychology &
Counseling
13%
English Literature
13%

Social Work
8%

English Lingustics
7%
Philosphy
4%

Fig. 1 Sample of the Study

A questionnaire was designed to identify
the extent of using the classroom
technology, barriers to effective use of
technology and their future perspective
in that respect.
2. This along with a series of focus group
discussions with samples of students (8
subjects) and technicians (8 subjects)
who are in charge of operation and
maintenance of that technology.
3. Class Visits to observe the effective use
of technology in education. Eight classes
were selected from FHSS.
4. Moreover, the syllabi of selected courses
(8 courses from the FHSS) were
analyzed to ensure the integration of
technology in the learning process.
And finally, we through this study aim
to involve the three parties (facultystudents- technicians) in developing a
plan of action and strategy for using
Nov 2011

effective teaching techniques to develop

classroom teaching process.

3. Key findings
I. The extent of using Classroom
technology:
II. The majority of FHSS faculty believe
that classroom technology facilities
learning (89 %) but do not use it
frequently ( 61%). Some do not even
use it to take the attendance(29%),
because the virtual keyboard enables the
students to easily recognize the
password of the teacher.
III. A considerable number of faculty
members (41%), mainly Arabs, disagree
with the idea that students can help
teachers
use
technology
more

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Asian Transactions on Science & Technology (ATST ISSN: 2221-4283) Volume 01 Issue 05

effectively in class .On the other hand,

students confirmed during focus group
discussions that they frequently help
faculty in using the classroom
technology. Some technicians also
expressed the fact that they receive
several technical support requests from
faculty, some of which are handled by
students. This can be explained in the
framework of the Arabic culture which
ensures the fact that education should be
a one way channel ( Instructor- students)
.
IV. The advantages of
classroom
technology in the viewpoint of faculty
are:
a. Offers more visualized content
(graphics, websites,--etc.) 72%
b. Offers a better variety of teaching
methods 63%
c. Provides easy access to different
resources the same time in the
classroom 60%
d. Offers easy access to the advanced
uses of blackboard in class 58%

e. Enhances idea sharing in the

classroom 41%
f. Increases
instructor to student
interactions 32%
g. Provides
better
collaboration
between students 8%
h. Enhances the preparation and
management of the class 3%
But they cannot fully benefit from these
advantages (79%) as 65% need more training on
using this technology in class and 39% need
training on the advanced uses of blackboard.
They expressed that all the workshops organized
to enhance faculty's skills in using blackboard
were introductory rather than advanced. It is
worth noting that 37% of the surveyed faculty
indicated that they could not show educational
videos because the majority of classroom MPA
devices are not equipped with CD/DVD Drives
or external speakers. 17% of faculty said they
cannot convert their videos into compatible
formats and save them as files on a USB or a
network drive. They sent several requests for
technical support in that respect , but they
received
no
prompt
response.

II Barriers to Effective use of technology in the

classroom:
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

% of faculty
2
3

Fig.2 Barriers to the Effective use of Technology in Classrooms

Nov 2011

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Asian Transactions on Science & Technology (ATST ISSN: 2221-4283) Volume 01 Issue 05

1. 78% of FHSS faculty indicated that the

few number of technicians in the college
hinder the effective use of classroom
technology and is considered the main
obstacle in that respect. There were no
significant differences between faculty
members from different departments in
that respect. Moreover, it is was
observed during Class visits that faculty
facing technical problems do not receive
prompt help from technicians due to the
few number of technicians available in
the College female campus( two for
classrooms, one for Labs and another for
faculty offices). On the other hand,
students agreed with faculty that the few
number of technicians is a problem.
They believe that this problem faces
only FHSS as other Colleges as the
college of law has no technical problems
due to the adequate number of
technicians.
2. 93% of faculty confirmed that the
problem is not the insufficiency of
equipment as all classrooms are
equipped with either smart boards or
Sympodiums. Technicians also ensured
that labs have been doubled in terms of
number and capacity. The problem in
the viewpoint of 26% of the faculty
surveyed is in the maintenance of these
equipments. They revealed that even the
technicians of Visionaire are incapable
of providing prompt maintenance.
3. 31% of the faculty believe that one of
the barriers to the effective use of
technology is integrating the classroom
technology into the teaching process
and only 9% indicated that they
developed their syllabi of their courses
to integrated the classroom technology
into the curriculum. This could be due to
the quick move to the new campus
before preparing faculty and technicians
to be capable of dealing with the
classroom technology. Few faculty not
exceeding 13% believe that the reason is
that the students themselves are
unprepared to use this new technology.
On the other hand, students supported

Nov 2011

4.

5.

a.

b.

c.

6.

by technicians ensured that they help

faculty in dealing with the new
technology. Class visits also supported
these findings. Moreover, analyzing a
sample of the syllabi of courses showed
that faculty did not modify their
curriculum to integrate the classroom
technology into the teaching process.
Class visits showed that the phases in
which faculty were most active are
exploration of the potential of using
technology in the teaching/learning
process, and adopting technology for
regular use in instruction. They are not
very active in the experimentation and
advanced integration phase.
More than half the faculty ( 69%)
indicated that the reason beyond all the
difficulties they faced with the
classroom technology is that there is no
clear plan in regard to the use of the
classroom technology and this could be
due to:
Some Classroom equipments are not
functional citing for mention the sound
systems. All audio output from the
MPAs is disabled. Faculty requiring
sound output is advised to bring their
own PCs and external speakers.
Technicians did not have adequate
training on using this new technology. It
is worth mentioning that Visionaire
invited staff from the CET to see and
interact with a fully-equipped and
operational new-campus classroom for
only one scheduled time.
Faculty did not receive any training
regarding this new technology. Only
one-shot workshop was organized for
one hour for some faculty the day before
the classes started.
More than half of faculty (59%) and
technicians believe that mentoring is a
promising way to provide teachers with
professional development in technology
integration. Faculty who supported
mentoring
indicated that it could
provide vision to them for designing
lessons
around
technology-rich
resources, solving technical support

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problems, and using technology in the

teaching
and
learning
process.
Techinicans, on the other hand , confirm
that the mentoring process could provide
a model for overcoming the barriers to
technology use.

(1999). "They also are more likely to

use and rely on digital content for
instruction, and to spend more time
trying out software and searching for
Web sites to use in class.
3. Develop strategies for making time for

professional development activities

4. Conclusion
In Conclusion, the barriers to the effective use of
classroom technology could be due to the lack of
clear plan in regard to this technology.
Therefore, we end this study with an action plan
that could be applied to guarantee the effective
use of classroom technology and integrating it
into the teaching process:
I.

Professional Development:
1. Fully implementing an effective
professional development program as
part of a well-designed technology plan
requires
support
from
college
administrators
and
leaders.
Administrators must have a clear vision
of technology to support student
learning and an understanding of the
roles that all college staff must play in
achieving that vision. They must be the
cheerleaders and visionaries who see
beyond the daily routine to a vision of
what is possible through the use of
technology. Administrators also can
participate in professional development
activities so they are aware firsthand of
how technology is used and what
problems are experienced by the staff.
2. Strengthen professional development
around the instructional uses of
technolgy. The CET should schedule a
number of long term workshops to
enhance faculty's skills in using
classroom technology and on how to
develop their syllabi to integrate this
technology in the teaching process. It
was found that teachers who received
technology training in the past year are
more likely than teachers who hadn't to
say they feel 'better prepared' to
integrate
technology
into
their
classroom lessons," notes Fatemi

Nov 2011

related to technology use. Build

adequate time into the college day to
allow teachers to practice, plan, refine,
and reflect upon technology use.
Consider innovative scheduling options
such as "banked" time and block
scheduling to allow collegial activities
using technology
4. Consider Mentorship as an effective tool
to overcome barriers to technology use.
Mentorship
provides
models
of
computer use to the classroom teacher
and help in lesson plan design .Studies
proved that Mentoring helped the
teacher
develop
strategies
for
overcoming the barriers of vision, time,
access, and assessment.
5. Emphasize the new roles of faculty
.Technology encourages teachers to take
on new and expanded roles, both inside
and outside of the classroom. Within the
classroom, technology supports studentcentered instruction. The teacher
assumes the role of coach or facilitator
while students work collaboratively
(Jones, Valdez, Nowakowski, &
Rasmussen, 1995; Kupperstein, Gentile,
& Zwier, 1999). Outside of the
classroom, technology supports teacher
collaboration. Instead of working in
isolation, teachers can work together to
find solutions to problems, act as peer
advisors to provide information and
feedback, and collect data to test
hypotheses (Lieberman, 1996; Little,
1982). Their new roles may involve
distance collaboration with cross-school
peer groups and study groups through
telecommunications
(Kosakowski,
1998).
6. Focus on building a knowledge base
about teaching and learning with
technology to ensure that technology

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planning,
decision
making,
and
professional development are based on
research.
7. Ensure that the educational goals for
technology are aligned with College
goals for student learning and that
professional development supports those
goals
8. Clearly specify the intended outcomes
of
the
technology
professional
development. Develop a plan for
evaluating the success of professional
development activities using various
assessment tools and strategies
9. Recognize teacher successes with
technology. Share these stories with the
school and the community. Encourage
teachers to share their successes with
colleagues at conferences.
II. Technical Support:
10. The effective use of classroom
technology should become one of the
priorities of UAEU strategy. The
management should support the
effective use of technology.
A
significant portion of the technology
budget should be allocated for
professional development. College
districts typically devote no more than
15 percent of their technology budget
for teacher training, but a better amount
would be 30 percent .
11. Provide sufficient technical training to
technicians. Visionare should schedule
periodic training for enhancing the skills
of technicians in using and dealing with
the problems of this technology.
12. Providing access to on-site technical
support personnel who are responsible
for troubleshooting and assistance after
the technology and lessons are in place.
When teachers are trying to use
technology in their classrooms and they
encounter difficulties, they need
immediate
help
and
support.
Technology that is not easily accessed
and implemented will not be used.

Nov 2011

13. Recommend the purchase of specific

technologies to achieve the identified
learning goals.
14. Ensure that technology purchases are
considered to be supplies. Ensure that
such purchases have ongoing funding
and are included in all parts of the
budget from building and maintenance
to instructional supplies.
15. Develop a process for selecting and
using appropriate software to support
learning goals.
16. Pursue strategies for obtaining and
sustaining funding to provide the
necessary technology, professional
development,
technical
support,
equipment upgrades, and equipment
maintenance to achieve educational
goals.
All partners should help in implementing
this action plan including faculty through the
following steps:
1. Develop strategies for using technology
to improve student achievement.
2. Develop an individual professional
development plan that provides for
acquisition of technology skills and
integration of technology into classroom
projects
3. Form study groups to explore issues,
share assessments of student work, and
identify strategies for improving
technology use.
4. Engage in collaborative planning and
evaluation.
5. Take on new and expanded roles as part
of professional development. Such roles
might include devising individual
professional development plans, acting
as peer advisors and mentors, collecting
data, and forming study groups.
6. Pursue innovative ideas for using
community resources to provide and
support professional development in
technology use.
7. Visit other Colleges and classrooms to
see how technology has been integrated
effectively into the curriculum. Or

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Asian Transactions on Science & Technology (ATST ISSN: 2221-4283) Volume 01 Issue 05

virtually visit classrooms by viewing

CD-ROMs (such as the Captured
Wisdom CD-ROM Library, produced by
the North Central Regional Technology
in Education Consortium), videotapes of
technology use in schools, or Internet
sites relating to technology integration
in content areas (such as the Handbook
of Engaged Learning Projects).
8. At faculty meetings, share ideas for
using technology within different
content areas.
9. Attend and present at conferences to
learn more and share ideas about
teaching with technology.
10. Use telecommunications (such as e-mail
lists and mail groups) to become part of
a community of teachers. Form peer
groups across schools, and join subjectmatter networks and collaboratives to
communicate about technology.
Finally, we hope the implementation of this
action plan could help in overcoming the
barriers to the effective use of classroom
technology in FHSS. However, further studies
are needed to clarify and compare the barriers
that face other colleges in UAE University in
regard to this new classroom technology,
particularly Technical Colleges as the
Engineering and IT Colleges.

5. References:
1. Dowling ,Laura & Harland, Darci
(2001) Critical factors in the Effective
use of Technology ( Walden university)
2. Fabry, Dee & Higgs, John R. ( 1997)
Barriers To the effective use of
Technology in Education: Current
Status , J. Educational Computing
Research , 17 (4), 385-395, 1997
3. Franklin, Teresa, Sandra Turner,
Mumbi
Kariuki,
and
Mesut
Duran(2009) Mentoring Overcomes
Barriers toTechnology Integration,
Journal of Computing in Teacher
Education Volume 18 / Number 1
4. Kerka, S. (1998). New perspectives on
mentoring. Columbus, OH: ERIC

Nov 2011

Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and

Vocational Education. (ERIC No. ED
418 249)
5. Maddux, C. D. (1998). Barriers to the
successful
use
of
information
technology in education. Computers in
the Schools, 14(3/4), 511
6. Office of Technology Assessment, U.
S. Congress. (1995). Teachers and

technology: making the connection,

OTA-EHR-616. Washington, D.C.: U.
S. Government Printing Office
7. National
Center
for
Education
Statistics,
U.S.
Department
of
Education. (2000). Stats in brief:

Teacher use of computers and the

Internet
in
public
schools.
Washington, D.C.:Author
8. Redmann, Donna H., Joe W. Kotrlik
&Bruce B. Douglas(2003) Factors
Related To Technology Integration In
Instruction by Marketing education,
Journal of Career and Technical
Education, Volume 19, Number 2
9. Sandholtz, J. H., Ringstaff, C., &
Dwyer, D. C. (1997). Teaching with

technology:
Creating
studentcentered classrooms. New York:
Teachers College Press
10. Glenn, A. D. (1997). Technology and
the continuing education of classroom
teachers, Peabody Journal
of
Education, 72(1), 122-128
11. Byron, S. (1995). Computing and

other instructional technologies:

Faculty perceptions of current
practices and views of future
challenges.
(ERIC
Document
Reproduction Service No. ED390381).
12. American Federation of Teachers
National Council on Measurement in
Education
National
Education
Association(1990)
Standards
for
Teacher Competence in Educational
Assessment of Students

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